Sentencing: Cat burglar gets 25 years

A PRCS (Post Release Community Supervision) violator who burglarized a Yreka couple's home while they were sleeping was sentenced this week in the Siskiyou County Superior Court to 25 years in prison.

Robert Alan Jones, 44, of Montague, was arrested for the cat burglary in December 2011. He stood trial this April and was found guilty of a felony count of first degree residential burglary, a felony count of receiving stolen property and a misdemeanor count of resisting/obstructing/delaying a peace officer.

Jones also faced special allegations for committing a burglary in a dwelling while it was occupied, having prior convictions that constitute serious felonies, having served a prior prison term, having eight prior offenses eligible for probation and for a third strike under the California Three Strikes Law.

Siskiyou County District Attorney Kirk Andrus asserted that the California Three Strikes Law called for a sentence of 13 years plus 25 years to life. He also pointed out that Jones has been convicted of three residential burglaries, which are strikes under California law.

However, Judge Don Langford cited a lack of "overt violence" in Jones' background and ruled to strike one of the strikes. Ultimately, Jones was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

"Between the first and the last convictions, a period of approximately 20 years, [Jones] has never spent more than a few months out of custody because of his constant criminal behavior," said Andrus.

Jones was on PRCS for charges pertaining to domestic violence and receipt of stolen property at the time of the incident, said Siskiyou County Deputy District Attorney Martha Aker, who prosecuted this case.

The cat burglary occurred on the night of Dec. 3, 2011. The following morning, the victims, who are in their sixties, reported to the Yreka Police Department that they awoke to discover multiple items were missing from their home.

Wrapped Christmas presents, cellular phones, digital cameras, a purse that contained a wallet and a flat-screen television were among the items stolen while the victims slept in their bed with their Yorkshire Terriers.

The estimated value of the stolen items was between $1,000 and $2,000, said Aker. It was determined that Jones had entered the house through the unlocked back door.

When Yreka police officers investigated the case and attempted to arrest Jones, he was uncooperative. Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office deputies joined the effort and deployed a K9, which bit Jones several times.

Jones was treated for injuries and booked in the Siskiyou County Jail.

"There is nothing in the convict's background, character, or prospects showing that he is anything beside a danger to people and their property wherever he goes," said Andrus. "The three strikes law is one of the most effective crime-fighting tools ever put into the hands of any criminal justice system, and until it was amended recently, had led to 20 consecutive years of reduced crime rates in California."